Jai Ho

It’s now official: overusing cell phones could possibly trigger brain cancer. The World Health Organization (WHO) has, after years of dawdling, ruled that there is indeed an unhealthy link between tumors and mobile phone’s electromagnetic radiation. 
    
On Tuesday, WHO and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as Group 2B agents that could “possibly be carcinogenic to humans’’. 
    
The cell phone-cancer link has been strongly debated for over a decade, but scientists had so far maintained that there is no indelible proof to nail electromagnetic radiation as the culprit. But the mood seems to have changed because of the phenomenal increase in the number of mobile phone subscriptions—5 billion globally and over 
600 million users in India alone. The summation seems to be that it’s better to use prevention rather than hunt for cure(s) for mobile-related maladies. 
   
The WHO/IARC classification is the result of a week-long deliberation between 31 scientists from 14 countries in Lyon, France. 

Cell scare: Don’t panic, limit use 
Mumbai: A statement released on Tuesday by the working group categorically said that there is an increased risk of glioma—a malignant form of brain cancer—associated with wireless phone use. The WHO has warned that excessive cell phone usage could trigger brain cancer. International news agencies quoted Kurt Straif, the scientist in charge of editing the IARC reports that will be published in Lancet Oncology’s July 1 edition, as saying, “There is some evidence of increased risk of glioma and another form of non-malignant tumour called acoustic neuroma.’’ 
    
What has emerged as an area of major concern is the extensive use of mobile phones among the youth. “The number of users is large and growing, particularly among young adults and children,’’ the working group said. The unwritten rule seems to be the WHO finding last year that problems could begin for those who have been speaking on a mobile phone for over 30 minutes every day for over 10 years. 
    
Doctors have, however, asked people to not panic but be cautious. “Mobile phones are useful tools, but one should limit the use. Basically, you should cut down on talk time or use SMS,’’ said Dr Shashank Joshi, honorary editor of JAPI (Journal of Association of Physicians of India). 
    
Cancer surgeon Dr P Jagannath said, “We have to ask people to either limit their calls or use more of handsfree. Manufacturers should be instructed to produce mobile with safe radiation levels.’’ He said the government should, in line with PUC certificate for vehicles, come up with EMR standards for cell phones and base towers. 
    
Officially, India reacted with caution. Union health secretary Dr V M Katoch said, “There appears to be a lot of attention generated by WHO’s classification for electromagnetic radiation. But we will first go into the scientific merit of what has been said, analyze it and then react.’’ 
    
The Indian medical fraternity feels vindicated with the WHO/IARC classification. Said Dr Joshi, “We, in India, talked about the cancer-cell phone link three years back in our study.’’ The review study, published in JAPI, said that there is no denying that excessive use of phone could lead to health hazards in general and cancer in particular. “It’s not just cancer, cell phones can affect people’s hormonal levels, lead to acoustic neuromas in the ears and even anxiety about ring tones,’’ said Joshi. 
    
In February, an inter-ministerial committee formed by Union Ministry of communications and IT concluded that radiation from mobile phones and towers poses serious health risks, including loss of memory, lack of concentration, disturbance in the digestive system and sleep disturbances. 
    
The IARC monograph is based on WHO’s Interphone study, which was published in the International Journal of Epidemiology last year. The report had suggested that using a mobile phone for more than 30 minutes each day could increase the risk of glioma. 
    
The IARC Monograph Working Group also discussed electromagnetic fields arising from occupational exposures to radar and to microwaves; environmental exposures associated with transmission of signals for radio, TV and wireless telecommunication and personal exposures associated with the use of wireless telephones. 

Take a break from your handset
IARC Monographs identify environmental factors, such as chemicals, complex mixtures, occupational exposures, physical and biological agents and lifestyle factors, that can increase the risk of human cancer. Since 1971, over 900 agents have been evaluated, of which approximately 400 have been identified as carcinogenic or potentially carcinogenic to humans. 

What Indian doctors/ scientists have said so far

• An inter-ministerial committee formed by Union ministry of communications and IT in February 2011 concluded that radiation from mobile phones and towers poses serious health risks, including loss of memory, lack of concentration, disturbance in the digestive system and sleep disturbances.
• It also attributed the disappearance of butterflies, bees, insects and sparrows vanishing from big cities to mobile phone-related radiation.
• Three years ago, Journal of Association of Physicians of India (JAPI) editor Shashank Joshi carried a comprehensive review on the harmful effects

1. Thermal effect: Exposure to very high radio frequency power densities (100 mW/cm2 or more) can heat biological tissue and increase body temperature.
2. Neurological: Predominant one-sided usage, high daily usage and exposure for a large duration of time (usually more than 10 years) have been found in some studies to raise the risk of brain tumours.
3. Psychiatric: Experts report increasing incidence of ringtone anxiety in which users imagine their phone to be ringing or feel it vibrating.
4. Cardiovascular: Mobiles can cause electromagnetic interference in the working of implanted pacemakers.
5. Endocrine: A French group studied the influence of electromagnetic fields emitted by GSM-900 cellular telephones on steroid and pituitary hormone levels in healthy males and discovered that levels dropped.
6. Reproductive: Rats subjected to mobile radiation were found to have damaged DNA and low sperm count.
7. Miscellaneous: A study said that prolonged use of a cellphone leads to inactivity and is associated with an increased risk of obesity

• Limit the use to essential calls and keep them short, particularly in rural areas. Or, simply, text t Allow children to use a cellphone only in cases of emergency. Since their skulls are developing, radiation can penetrate deeper than in adults.
• Do not make a call when the signal strength is at one bar or less. It essentially means the phone must work harder to establish a connection.
• Buy a phone with a low specific absorption rate (SAR), which is a way to measure the quantity of RF energy that is absorbed by the body.

The drumstick, also known as the horseradish tree or by its scientific name “moringa oleifera” is a tree of exceptional nutritional value. Apart from the various culinary applications, parts of this tree find use as traditional medicines and to clean dirty water.The uses of drumstick are many. Apart from the various culinary uses, the plant also serves as a tonic, digestive, diuretic, aphrodisiac, and anti-inflammatory.“Moringa Oleifera”, popularly known as the drumstick tree, ben tree, or the horseradish tree is a wonder plant on account of its multifarious benefits. The plant is rich in Vitamin A, B1, B2, B3, C, and minerals like calcium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium.

Drumstick Leaves

The leaves of the drumstick plant have great nutritional value. It contains 38 percent protein with all amino acids, making it a richer source of proteins compared to other vegetables. The drumstick tree in fact has the highest protein ratio of any plant on earth, with calcium content of the leaves being 297mg per 100g of leaves, making it a valuable source of protein for vegetarians.100 grams of freshly cooked drumstick leaves provide for 75 percent of iron and 50 percent of proteins required by a growing child. Evidence from sub-Saharan African countries indicates that incorporation of two tablespoons of crushed drumstick leaves in the daily diet help overcome malnutrition.The nutritional benefits of dried and crushed drumstick leaves apart, the powder also finds use as a flavoring agent, with the flavor similar to peas with a mild mustard taste. Sliced and young green pods also find use as a savory in meat dishes.

Drumstick Seeds

Drumstick Oil

Drumstick seed oil is equivalent to olive oil in health benefits. The oil is rich in mono-unsaturated fatty acids such as oleic acid. Research indicates that oleic acid lowers cholesterol levels and prevents cancer.Drumstick oil has an added advantage over most vegetable oils in that it is odorless, stable and does not turn rancid. These properties explain its widespread use in the manufacture of soaps, perfumes and even as lubricants in watch making. These properties also enable extend drumstick oil uses to ayurvedic massages.

The Hallelujah diet is a vegan diet, which mostly consists of raw organic foods and partly cooked foods. This diet is the basis of the Hallelujah Diet Program. It advocates going back to the roots - something that the diet equates with the philosophy that God meant us to 'survive on raw foods.' Not to take away from the diet's weight loss goals, it considers this belief an optimum weight loss program. This diet was discovered by Rev. George Malkmus, who also calls this diet "God's way to optimal health."

How does the Hallelujah diet work? If you cut out pretty much everything that mankind has created for consumption, there is no doubt that this diet will aid weight loss. But is the weight loss healthy or not, is the main concern. Daily food intake is limited to such an extent that the scarcity of nutrition and calorie content in the body can get alarming. At times, it might become difficult to satisfy hunger and cravings if one follows this diet strictly. 

A typical day of the Hallelujah diet looks like:

• Breakfast- Grass juice in powdered form and organic barley.
• Mid-morning snack- 1 piece of fruit or 1 tall glass of fresh vegetable juice.
• Lunch- Again organic barley along with a raw fruit or vegetable.
• Mid-afternoon snack- 1 piece of fruit or vegetable 
• Dinner- Again one serving of organic barley along with green leafy salad. One can also eat one or more than one choice of these food items- baked sweet potato, whole grain or steamed veggies.

What is hot stone therapy?

* boost your circulation
* release stored tension
* recharge your energy levels
* relax you.

* muscular pain
* poor circulation
* rheumatic and arthritic conditions
* fibromyalgia
* multiple sclerosis (MS)
* back pain
* stress
* insomnia
* depression.